Road accidents involving trucks carrying heavy loads are commonplace. Oftentimes, the accidents are caused by loads shifting on the load bed, which can ultimately cause instability of the truck during turning or when traveling at high speed. The loads are typically secured to the truck's load bed by a number of elongate securing members, such as securing straps or the like. The securing members are normally lashed over the load and connected to both sides of the load bed using hooks or some other suitable connecting means. While this type of load securing is satisfactory, it has some significant drawbacks. For example, loads have a tendency to shift during transport and the tension in the securing members can decrease, which results in unstable loads that may dislodge and fall off the load bed causing injury and damage to property. Moreover, the vehicle driver is often unaware of this decrease in strap tension and often has to manually check the integrity of the load, especially on long journeys. This checking increases the delay in delivery of the load and may increase the cost of transporting the load.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,847,290 issued to Tardif on Jan. 25, 2005 teaches a tension alert device for remedying the problems described above. Tension alert device is used with securing member which secures load to vehicle load bed, the securing member having a connector portion and an attachment link. The device includes a connector sleeve, with an axial bore and a sleeve end portion, which is connected to the link. A first contacter connects to an inner end portion of the sleeve and faces into the axial bore. A second contacter slides in the bore along a restricted path of travel and has a second load bed connector. The second contacter faces the first contacter and is urged away from it when the member has a first tension threshold value. The first contacter has an electrical signal generator for producing an electrical signal, which is activated when the second contacter is biased against it when the belt is at a second threshold tension value. The electric signal is used for controlling an alert signal generated and transmitted to the user when tension declines below an acceptable level. Thus, the tension in member is monitored and user is alerted when tension has fallen below the acceptable level. However, this device disadvantageously requires attachment of device between one end, i.e. a connecting end, of the securing member and the load bed, thus necessitating use of the link and connector portions and adaptation of the connecting end of member for attachment to device. Device may also require adaptation of load bed and installation of additional equipment thereon to enable attachment of device thereto. This adaptation of member and load bed can be time consuming and cumbersome, and may also engender additional costs.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved tension alert device that can be more easily attached to securing member and which is not restricted to attachment on an end of securing member.